Game thread: New York Knicks @ Washington Wizards 7:00 10/7/2019 [Preseason Game #1]

After a week of training camp practices, the Knicks will finally get the chance to test themselves against another team on Monday night.

"It's great," third-overall pick RJ Barrett said. "We've been practicing all week. We can't wait to go play somebody else and see how we match up."

Barrett and the Knicks will play the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena in their preseason opener, their only preseason game that will be played away from Madison Square Garden.

Only so much can be drawn from one preseason game, especially the first one, but it'll offer some indications about David Fizdale's rotations, how some of the free agency additions will fit in and the growth of the team's young players.

Here are five things to keep an eye on:

The Knicks' starting five

Seemingly the only players who are considered locks for the starting lineup are power forward Julius Randle and center Mitchell Robinson. But the other three spots are less clear.

It's been a three-man competition in training camp with Dennis Smith Jr., free agency addition Elfrid Payton and Frank Ntilikina battling for the starting spot. Smith is out with a lower back strain.

That means Payton could get the chance to start and make an impression on the coaching staff. Ntilikina could be an option, but this could be a good opportunity to see what Payton can do running their offense in an actual game.

The other spots will also be intriguing.

Barrett could start at shooting guard, but Fizdale also has veteran Wayne Ellington and second-year guard Allonzo Trier. Then at small forward, does Kevin Knox return as the starter, or does the veteran Marcus Morris get that role for now?

The Knicks' starting five for the first preseason game doesn't necessarily mean that Fizdale will use that lineup in the regular season, but it'll offer some insight into his thinking.

RJ Barrett's performance

Regardless of whether or not he starts, Barrett's display will draw attention. The third-overall pick out of Duke struggled at the start of summer league, particularly with his shooting, before showing improvement in the final games.

The Knicks are hoping that improvement continues Monday night.

Barrett has impressed so far in training camp with his moves in the paint and his strength at the rim.

"He's a strong kid," Fizdale said after the team's open practice Saturday at Columbia University. "He's stronger than college kids. His strength is already NBA ready. I can see him really being a force in the paint."

That's going to be important since he's still working on his outside shooting.

It's also going to be interesting to see his role within in the Knicks' offense. He's a playmaker, something the Knicks will want to see plenty of.

Defensive improvements?

The Knicks were one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA last season, a big reason why they finished with a 17-65 record.

That being said, defense has been a major emphasis in training camp.

Fizdale said the Knicks won't necessarily utilize a full-court press, but he wants his players being aggressive and picking up their man all 94 feet.

The Knicks brought in some defensive-minded players over the summer, especially Morris, which they hope goes a long way.

Monday night should offer some glimpses into their progress.

Kevin Knox's progression

Knox came into camp stronger than he was last season, which should help him on both ends of the floor, but especially when trying to absorb contact while finishing at the rim.

The 20-year-old second-year forward has also been working on his efficiency and spent much of the summer dissecting his game and identifying good and bad shots after he shot 37 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from the perimeter as a rookie.

Knox said he has a better understanding now of which shots he should be taking, which should help his efficiency go up. The Knicks also have more experienced and more talented players on the roster this year, which means Knox might not see as many shots.

He's also going to be fighting for minutes with Morris.

This is going to be an important sophomore season for Knox to take steps forward as a player. It starts Monday.

Which Frank Ntilikina will the Knicks see?

Unsurprisingly, Ntilikina is going to be closely watched.

After an injury-marred sophomore season where he was limited to just 43 games, Ntilikina believes he's ready to take a jump as a player. Defense has never been a problem for the 21-year-old, it's been his offense that's the issue.

Ntilikina's showing with the French national team in the FIBA World Cup over the summer was encouraging for the Knicks since Ntilikina showed confidence and aggressiveness offensively.

The Knicks are hoping it continues.

Ntilikina has also spent time working on his three-point shooting, staying after practice to get shots up from different spots around the perimeter. Now is the time to put that practice to use.



(northjersey.com)

Rady already in mid season form for this preseason game.

Disappointed that DSJ is already missing time, even if it is only the preseason.

Looking for our guys to look like a real NBA team from the jump. Let?s go Knicks!

Haha, it's been a long wait and i'm really hyped about this preaseson! Looking forward to see these fresh dudes out there. Knox got only a bench role for tonight but RJ will start! Let's get'em!

A game thread for a preseason game, a pleasant surprise. Rady also makes the best b-ball game threads on the web.

RJ I think showed enough during that open practice I saw to get the nod to start in the opening game of preseason. I still expect Frank to get his turn to start some games with Dotson out and perhaps DSJ out. Medical didn’t clear him, so that concerns me esp with his history of back problems that plagued him in a Dallas and NY. We have more invested in DSJ as the featured trade piece we got for Porzingis so Perry is not even thinking about not picking his option even if he can’t play in the preseason imo.

It’s only preseason but the Wiz are a bottom feeder this season and the Knicks need to back up that talk about being a tough defensive team composed of tough minded players starting tonight.

Hoops is back!!!

Looking at that injury report, they are way more banged up then we are. This should be a blowout by us, I don’t want to hear any excuses about it only being a preseason game. We need to get off on a good foot after last season and that bust of an off-season.

Lakers look unbelievable and they were in the same rebuilding mode we were in a few years ago but they completely rebuilt that team, Avery, Dwight, unsung names but Avery is a great on ball defender and Dwight looks in great shape for a guy his age, seems more ripped so he spent a lot of time in the gym while he was rehabbing. They are deep and are my favs to win it all despite the Clips having the best 2 way players in the NBA.

I‘m pissed that the Knicks with the most valuable franchise with and most loyal fan base could not do what the Lakers and Clips did in making the team over almost over night.

As above, starters are:

C - MRob
PF - Randle
SF - Morris
SG - Barrett
PG - Payton

In the 1st minute, MRob has a block and Randle scores in the post.

Fantastic drive and acrobat shot by Randle in isolation.

Starting to see tonight what teams are probably going to do all season. Go at Randle. Randle needs to be better defensively.

Great job by Payton pushing the pace and finding MRob in transition.

Just read that Bobby Portis also out tonight with a bruised rib.

There has now been 2 plays where Randle has not gotten his hands up to contest shots.

Here comes Ntilikina and Knox for Payton and Randle.

Ntilikina immediately knocks down a jumper. C?mon, let?s do this!

Taj Gibson in for MRob. Barrett and Morris still out there. Barrett has missed a few good open looks from deep. Needs to drive.

Ellington in for Barrett.

Knox misses the 3, but Taj grabs the offensive board and then finds Knox driving for the layup.

Trier checks in for Morris.

Ntilikina finds Taj in the low post and he makes a nice move for the and-1.

We lead 18 to 13 after 9 minutes. Our shooting has been mediocre, but defense, passing, and rebounding have been decent so far.

It?s crazy, our rotations already look pretty deep and no Portis, DSJ, Dotson, Brazdeikis, or Bullock. We have a legitimate 15 guys who can battle for minutes (maybe 14 if Bullock never gets healthy).

Ntilikina with the spin move layup in transition over the flopping defender. He looks like a different player so far.

Taj scores again. We lead 24 to 14 now. This 2nd unit will change when guys get healthy, but the one we are showing tonight with Ntilikina, Ellington, Knox, Trier, and Taj has been effective.